


Trouble at the 12th

by AThousandSuns1



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Police, Comedy, F/F, M/M, sharon carter month
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22986517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AThousandSuns1/pseuds/AThousandSuns1
Summary: Captain Rogers runs a buch of unruly but dedicated detectives and, against all odds, he's making the city better.But an unexpected arrival could disrupt the balance, while Tony warns Steve about a storm that's coming and could destroy the 12th precinct.Steve hates when Stark is right.Detective!AU, part of a series. Posted for Sharon Carter Month.A five chapters fic, written already. Beware, english isn't my first language, so any correction is welcomed.
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10
Collections: Sharon Carter Month





	1. The Rookie

Natasha scoffs as she lets her bag drop on the chair by the desk.

The shift has just begun, but the station is crowded already, full of noisy people. It's going to be a long day.

«Good morning, detective Romanoff» Clint teases her from his chair and Nat scowls at him, just a cold look, no words escape her lips.

Clint sips his cheap coffee. «No need for you to sit down: the rookie's here, she's waiting for you in Rogers' office.»

Natasha groans, daring to cast a look at the captain's office, as to make sure Clint isn't making that up. But the door is closed and she can't see a damn through the windows.

She lowers her eyes to Clint's desk and a shiver runs through her; she's been working with him for years, but that sight still horrifies her, every single day. Documents, important documents, are stacked on each other without any care and they take all the space the pc and the empty coffee cups can't. Worse, she gets a glimpse of crumbles of unknown snacks and garbage Clint is too sluggish to throw away in the bin below the desk. 

Lucky, curled by Clint's feet, gives her an odd look and cocks his head, ready for the lecture that's coming.

«Would you mind cleaning up? I don't need more coffee stained reports.» A weird smell reaches her and she wrinkles her nose. «What about that donut? Please, tell me that's not the same donut I saw you nibble at two weeks ago.»

Clint looks at the donut, then Natasha. «It's not the same donut?»

She throws her arms in frustration. «Why haven't you finished it?»

«I don't like almond donuts» he mumbles.

«Are you waiting for it to change flavor?»

«I could give it to Lucky» ha says as he picks it up.

«No!» Nat slaps his wrist and the donut falls on the floor. «Do you want to poison him?»

Before they can stop him, Lucky swallows what's left of it.

That'it, she can't handle it anymore. «Come on, Clint? How can you work like this?»

«There's order in my mess» he points out. «To you, it looks like trash, but I know where to find everything.» 

«Oh, really.» She grins and watches Clint swallow. «Then you'll have no problem finding the report I needed you to sign yesterday. I left it in that corner.»

«You'll get it when I sign it» he murmurs, trying to stall.

«You should sign it now, there's no more time. Rogers cares so much about schedules.»

Clint seems to shrink in his chair. «I might have lost it.»

«Why don't you give the rookie a tour? I won't rat on you.»

«Go and be a snitch, Rogers knows how I work already.»

«You shouldn't be proud of that, Barton.»

Clint stretches on his chair. «You're grounded, Romanoff. Rookie's all yours.» 

Nat crosses her arms. «How comes that you lose official papers and I get reprimanded? What did I do?»

Clint sips his coffee again and stares at his computer. «I'm not the one who bypassed the protocol to arrest a petty thief.»

Nat runs a hand through her hair; she just started the shift but wants to get out of there already. «I arrested him, does it matter how?» 

Rogers' voice, behind her, startles her. «It will, when his scum lawyer finds out and tries to invalidate the arrest, which he probably will.»

Natasha casts a stern look to Clint for not warning her but he just shrugs. She puts on her best smile and turns to face Rogers, ready to fight.

And she stops.

Behind Steve stands a woman, blonde hair that flows in tiny waves; the blue shirt she wears is perfectly ironed and the fabric of her pants tailors her figure without a flaw. Her straight posture shows off her confidence and there's a hint of a smile on her lips that she fails to hide. Natasha thinks that he doesn't look like a rookie. And then she thinks she's cute. And then she bites her lips to stop thinking.

«No snarky remark, Romanoff? Are you alright?» Rogers keeps his arms crossed and frowns at her.

«I'm okay, Captain.»

«Then you won't mind escorting detective Carter for a quick tour.»

The woman smiles and offers her a hand. «Sharon Carter.»

Her shake is steady and warm, and she holds Natasha's gaze.

«Excuse me» Steve walks away, not before he warns Romanoff with a last look.

«I don't want to waste your time.» 

Sharon must have guessed Romanoff isn't thrilled about the tour. Nat does her best to flash her a kind smile. «Don't worry. Besides, you're going to need guidance if you want to work in this circus» she jokes. Yeah, she just attempted a joke. 

Clint hides a grin behind his cup. «You're friendlier than usual, Romanoff, and you still haven't drank your coffee. What happened?»

Nat ignores him. «This is my partner, Clint Barton.»

«I heard nothing but good stuff about you and your work down at the 11th Precinct, detective Carter» he says offering his hand.

Sharon blushes slightly as she bites her lower lip - yeah, cute. «It was a team effort, really.»

«What work?»

«Losing your touch, Romanoff?» Clint's eyes are wide open, now. «The Osborn scandal and the whole money laundering thing.»

Nat glues her eyes to Sharon, who blushes a little more. «I didn't know you were behind it.»

Sharon nod. «I was a part of the taskforce, yes, but I simply did my job.»

Natasha feels like she's trying to solve a puzzle. She was right, Carter isn't a rookie, but something is off. The Osborn scandal should have gotten her a promotion - to lieutenant, at least. Instead, she downplays her involvement and moves to their precinct, a smaller one. Why?

Sharon clears her throat snapping Nat back to reality.

«And now you're here.» She smiles and points at two desks near them. «Have you met detectives Wilson and Barnes?»

«Captain Rogers introduced us.»

«Perfect, let's begin then.» They stroll the hallway, the grey light from the ceiling threats to give her a headache. «We use this room for breaks.» She points at the vending machine and the tiny gas stove, then they go on. «It won't take long, our precinct is smaller than the 11th.» 

First bait. Nat really wants to know why Carter's there: it could be a simple transfer, or maybe it isn't. Either way, she's going to find out.

«The 11th… Sometimes, it could be stifling» she confesses. «It feels completely different here.» 

Stifling? Interesting choice of words. What is she hiding?

«Don't be fooled. Rogers can be pretty intense when he wants to.»

Sharon shrugs. «For the things that really matter, like integrity, or dedication to the job.»

Nat didn't see that coming. «Looks like you know him well.»

«He's pretty famous.» 

«War heroes tend to be» Nat agrees while she takes her down another hallway, to the interrogation room, and then further down to the archives. There isn't much to see, just dusty folds and smelly old paper, they don't waste a lot of time.

«Fury is Captain at the 11th, right?» Nat asks while they retrace their steps.

Sharon hesitates. «I don't know how much longer, to be honest. Commissioner Pierce is pushing for his retirement.»

She wears a mask, a mask that isn't perfect and Nat's trained eye can see every crack: Sharon's lips are slightly pressed together - disappointment, maybe rage. Her eyes look down before going back up, straight to Nat's face, gaze unreadable. 

Nat is running out of rooms to show her: if she wants to find something out she needs to corner her. Maybe it isn't the best approach to welcome her, but the precinct is Nat's life, Nat's family. She lost enough, she won't let her guard down. She tries one last time.

«What does Fury think of that? I've met him when I was fresh out of the academy, he's though.»

A dry laugh escapes Sharon's lips. «I doubt he'll quit right before the Osborn trial.»

«Will you have to testify?»

«It's likely.» Sharon sighs and this time doesn't bother to hide it.

Maybe Nat's going in the right direction, maybe she found a crack in her armor. «Be careful. Lawyers can be assholes, they'll try any angle to make you look bad.»

«I'll handle them.»

She won't get another chance, not soon, so she goes for it. «What will you say when they ask why you got here?»

Her eyes grow colder, the smile isn't a real smile. «I'll say I moved to be closer to my aunt Peggy.»

She knows what Natasha is trying to do. Oh, she's good.

«I didn't mean to interrogate you.»

Sharon touches her shoulder and Nat tries to ignore the warmth of her hand.

«I get it, this is so much more than a job for you and people here are more than colleagues. You don't have to apologize for that; if anything, it's cute how you get protective of them.»

Nat can't help smiling. «I don't think anybody ever called me  _ protective _ .» 

«Not in your face., I suppose.»

Whatever Carter is hiding, it won't be easy to unravel. But maybe it can wait.

«This is the briefing room.»

«I have to say, you take order and cleaning rather seriously.»

«Clint's desk is the only exception.»

That makes Sharon laugh and Nat gets lost for a second watching her. «Rogers can be a pain in the ass, but his methods work. So, did you find what you expected?»

Sharon bites her lip innocently and Nat can't help following the movement, less innocently. Sharon doesn't notice, or she pretends not to.

«I think i might have found more.»

Sharon passed the test with flying colors and it isn't because of her warm brown eyes or her dimples. Ugh, what is wrong with her?

«Do you want a coffee?» She realizes after a moment how that sounds. «In the common room, I mean.»

Sharon gives her a sweet smile. «Sure.» 

When Natasha turns, she finds Clint by the wall giving her a thumbs up.

Nat scowls at him and tell him to go to hell - with sign language. Clint just holds his cup, Lucky snoring at his feet.

Captain Rogers stand in his office behind the curtains watching the rookie drink coffee, with a frown. 

Carter's resume is impressive: among the best graduates of her year, she moved through the ranks fast and she's now a brilliant detective, not to mention she had a crucial role in the team that conducted the investigation to take down Osborn and his dirty company - one of the biggest of New York, hell, one of the biggest in America.

Steve goes back to his desk and reads the request she filed, again. It's perfect, but there's a feeling that makes his stomach turn. The echo of one question in his mind: why is she here? 

The 12th is a small precinct and Steve is working on making it better since he got there, almost a year before.

When he was a soldier, he thought there wasn't anything worse than war and boy, was he wrong. In war, there isn't bureaucracy, with its slow times and countless paper that risk jeopardizing every move - or at least he never had to deal with it. In war, there's an enemy. And you know him. Now that he runs a precinct, Steve doesn't know who to trust, and that means everyone is an enemy: other captains, criminals he tries to arrest, internal affairs…

He wants to know what really brought Carter there, he knows there has to be a very specific reason. He just has to dig deep enough and he'll find it.

He stashes some papers away only to be faced with more papers. If war didn't kill him… He goes back by the window, watches Sharon wishing he could read her mind.

He really needs a vacation.

Stark comes in without knocking, as usual.

«Do you think she'll fit in?» Steve asks while he stands there, doesn't say Sharon's name. Tony is sharp, when he has enough coffee in him.

He doesn't speak though. Steve turns and clears his throat. «Would you mind not sitting on my desk while you read reports?»

«I don't work for you, I work for I.A.» he teases, but then looks at Steve and something in his eyes makes him stand up.

Rogers nods trying to hide a smile.

«She'll be fine, your precinct is almost perfect.»

Steve frowns and tries to read Tony's expression, but he's a challenge, his face impenetrable. He was never easy to read, with his witty sarcasm and diva attitude. And that bothers Steve.

He crosses his arms. «Was that a compliment? Are internal affairs about to ruin me and you're trying to make me feel less bad?»

Tony rolls his eyes. «Feeling tragic today, Rogers. I'm not always an asshole, you know, I have my moments.»

It's true, Stark doesn't pulls his punches when he jokes and teases; but some days he ends up saying something that sounds like it came from his heart. Hence, unreadable.

«Well, thank you.»

«Wait for it, I brought more stuff that needs signing.»

Steve groans and Tony laughs in his face. «I bet that's not what you imagined when you entered the Police.» 

Steve collapses in his chair and Tony sits in front of him instead of walking away. He must be enjoying himself.

Steve isn't ashamed though. «I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect… this.» Tony he's looking at him warily. «Whatever you need to say, say it.»

Tony sighs as he leans back on his chair - well, Steve's chair. «Rumor has it… not everyone is happy about the way you run the station.»

«If you want to say something actually meaningful, do it, or leave this office.»

Tony frowns, his arms crossed now, but the ghost of a smile lingers on his lips. «You made yourself a bunch of enemies, including a couple above you, with your unusual methods and unusual detectives running around.»

«They might be unusual, but they get the job done, no one can deny that. Not even the high ranks.»

«Clearly, results aren't all that matters. There's a power play-»

Steve stands, his palms steady on the desk. «I don't care about that» he states, hoping to end the conversation and win the argument. 

But you can never win an argument with Tony Stark.

«The rest of the world,  _ this  _ world, does.»

Steve shakes his head. «You always manage to have the last word.»

«It's my superpower, Captain.» He shoots him a warmer smile while buttoning his jacket. He reaches the windows and perks outside. «I bet fifty dollars that by the end of the week Romanoff is going to ask her out.»

Steve frowns. «It's against the protocol.»

Tony laughs but doesn't look away from the detectives. «When did Romanoff ever cared about protocol?»

  
  


«Psst.»

Bucky lifts his head and crosses Sam's eyes, in front of him.

Sam tilts his head and Bucky follows the general direction to find Natasha standing near Carter's desk, waiting for some kind of document, he guesses.

Bucky's eyes settle back on his partner and shrugs.

Sam scoffs and talks so low that James has so bend nearer him. «It's the third time today, a couple of days and she'll trace a path.»

«She's just trying to be nice.»

«Romanoff. Nice. Do you know who we're talking about?»

Thing his, Bucky is buried with work and he just doesn't have the time to gossip, not even if he wanted to. «Even so? It's her business.»

«Do you remember what kind of a snoop she was with us?» From the look of it, Sam is taking it quite personally.

They should be working: he's not staying late, again. «If you don't let it go, I'll throw my prosthetis at you.» 

Sam stays silent for a moment, then flashes him a wicked smile. «I'd pay to see you do it.» 

Bucky leans on his chair and rubs his face with the good hand. He's never winning an argument with him. «By the way, the protocol doesn't allow it.»

«We're not allowed either, and yet.»

Bucky finds himself smiling too. «Only if Steve finds out.»


	2. The quiet

Steve never thought being Captain would mean spending so much time signing stuff. Sometimes he misses war, and that's a concerning feeling. The door opens with the usual squeaking and, before he lifts his eyes, Steve knows it's Stark. That guy really doesn't know how to knock. Or maybe he does it on purpose. Scratch the maybe.  
Still, Steve wants to point that out, but when he looks at Stark, any concern about knocking goes out of the window. «That's not a good news kind of face.»  
Tony plants his palms on the desk and leans towards him. «Did you mess up the Creel case?»  
Straight to the point, Steve always liked that. He leans on the chair, arms crossed. «Mister Creel was arrested according to the procedure.»  
Stark shrugs. «So many nice words, still bullshit.»  
Steve lowers his voice. «Does it really matter? We caught him, and if we're lucky, he's going to point us to the right direction. Fisk's direction.»  
Tony shakes his head, walks nervously up and down. «Fisk isn't a fool, and that’s not the point anyway.»  
«Then what's the point?»  
Tony plops down on the chair in front of Steve. «Rumor has it, Ross wants to transfer you - which is a nice way of saying he wants to get rid of you.»  
Straight to the point, again. Steve's surprised though, but does his best to hide it. «I've been here a couple of years now: solved cases are up, crime is slowly going down. This is one of the most efficient precincts.»  
«Maybe, but Ross only sees a pack of unruly detectives, incapable of following protocols, Romanov first. Not even Carter managed to discipline her.» Tony shakes his head. «Your detectives get involved with each other and you either don't know about it, or pretend not to. And what about Barton? He can't bring his dog to a crime scene!»  
Steve decides to ignore him. «They may be out of the ordinary, but they're good.»  
«You're a police Captain now, Rogers! You can't look the other way when your people ignore the protocol. I thought you loved rules.» Stark casts him a wary look and crosses his arms. He does it when he's displeased, and lately, he's displeased a lot. «Steve, don't you get it? Ross was only waiting for you to make a mistake, and you walked right into the trap with that Creel shit.»  
«You mean, a legitimate arrest?»  
Tony holds his head in his hands. «Forget Creel.» When his eyes go back to Steve, there's a seriousness Steve rarely saw before on him. Not a good sign. «Just know that Deputy Chief Pierce agrees with Ross. One way or another, they will transfer you, and if they can't make you look like the bad guy, they'll just promote you. You can't refuse a promotion.»  
For the first time, Tony's words sink in, the truth hurts. Steve doesn't feel like talking anymore.  
Tony sighs and stands, moves an arm towards Steve, like he wants to comfort him, but abruptly stops. He sighs again and starts walking away.  
«Tony?»  
Tony turns, a wrinkle between his eyebrows. Steve never addresses him by his name, he must have noticed. Tony already has his hand on the doorknob, but he stays still.  
«Why did you warn me? Back at the A.I. you all gloat over stuff like this.»  
Tony stares at him and opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He looks down at his shoes, then back at Steve. «You're a good Captain, Steve.»  
It's all he says before heading out, but it's enough.

When Steve reveals the latest news to the ones he trust at the precinct, Romanov is the first one to storm out.  
Clint bends down to pet Lucky. «It could have gone worse.»  
«If we're lucky, she went and put a bullet in Ross' chest» Stark murmurs and Sharon for a moment wonders if he's joking or not. Then wonders why he's with them. Maybe Steve trusts him, or maybe Tony simply doesn't trust Ross. He's not the only one.  
«She'll get over it» Steve's voice doesn't really have a tone. «Get back to work. If you need me, I'll be in my office.»   
Sharon meet Clint's eyes, who gives her a warm smile.  
Natasha isn't in her car loading her gun; Sharon finds her crouched down in the archive, arms around her knees and head low, hidden between the boxes. Sharon stops in her tracks when Nat loos at her: she's met by a pair of watery eyes, which, for Nat, it's like crying her eyes out.  
Sharon bites her lips and then joins her. She dares placing a kiss on her head, stroking her hair. Natasha breathes out, almost a sigh, and Sharon just stays there, without a word.  
Natasha speaks first, once she's ready. «I heard stuff but… I didn't think much of it.»  
«You knew?»  
«Rumlow's been bragging about an upcoming promotion.»  
Sharon flinches. «The jerk from Major Crimes Unit?»  
A low laugh shakes Natasha. «You've had the pleasure.»  
Sharon looks down on her clenched fists. She must look guilty because Nat asks: «What is it?»  
Sharon's so tired of hiding things, hiding the truth. «He's part of the reason why I left the 11th.»  
Nat tenses up. «What did he do to you?»  
«Nothing too personal» Sharon tries to soothe her. «I don't know how to explain it. It's just… He's toxic, to work with.» Sharon can feel Nat's anger.  
«I always thought he was an asshole, but I'd never guess...» She frowns. «Steve knew when he took you in, didn't he? That's why you were also here today, even if you've just arrived.»  
Sharon shakes her head. «He didn't, not from the beginning, but then I had to. I had to tell him the truth.»  
«What truth?»  
Sharon sighs. «They're pushing for Nick's retirement because… something's off with the Osborn case.»  
«Is somebody compromised?» Nat doesn't sound surprised.  
«Yes, but Fury doesn't have any proof. And he only trusts me and Hill - and Coulson down at forensic, I suppose, but he has his own problems.»  
«He shouldn't have sent you away, you could have helped.»  
Sharon moves a strand of hair behind her ear. «That's what I said, but he wouldn't listen. I'll have to testify soon and my testimony could be decisive.» She looks at Nat. «The safest place for me right now is this precinct, with a decorated veteran in charge. But I'm afraid I dragged him down with me.» She tries to hold on, but her voice breaks anyway.  
«Steve has his own enemies up the chain of command.»  
«Still, I don't wish to be the last nail on his coffin.»  
Natasha brushes her chin making her lift her head. «You won't.» Then her eyes grow colder and she's detective Romanov again. «You suspect Rumlow.»  
«First on the list, but probably not the last.»  
«We have to take care of it.»  
Sharon is amused. «Sounds like you want to kill him.»   
«We'll keep it as plan B» she laughs lightly as she kisses her lips.

«Do you think they'll do it?»  
They're hidden in the police car, desperate for some privacy.  
Sam, by his side, sighs. «You can bet your arm they will: Ross is an asshole, Pierce is worse.»  
«Perhaps we should ask ourselves why» Bucky murmurs, a frown on his face.  
«Right. Maybe they want to replace Steve with someone they can actually keep on a leash.»  
«Someone like Rumlow?» Disgust creeps in Bucky's voice.  
Sam steals his coffee. «I hope not. He isn't high enough anyway.»  
«Maybe they don't care.»  
«Steve is stubborn, you know him» Sam insists. «He won't give up easily.»  
«I hope so, or we'll have to be more careful.»  
Sometimes Rumlow strolls in their precinct claiming he has business there, but Sam knows he does it to get on Steve's nerves. Oh, he loves to poke things, and people. He thinks he's untouchable, and that makes him dangerous. And… Well, Sam doesn't like the way he looks at Bucky, it makes his skin crawl.  
«Rumlow isn't getting his filthy hands on our precinct, we won't let him.»  
«You're cute when you're jealous.»  
Sam pretends he didn't hear him. «If things get ugly, Romanov will take care of it.» Bucky flashes him that wicked smile that make Sam's knees wobble. «Speaking of caution, no one can see us in the car...»  
Bucky laughs before kissing him, but they're both startled by a knocking on the window.  
«Emergency meeting» Romanov orders, voice low but steady. «If you're done fooling around.»   
«Looks like somebody has a plan.» There's hope in Sam's voice, he doesn't even try to hide it.  
Bucky shakes his head. «No one can see us, uh?»  
«Stop it.»


End file.
